Begayt is an Ethiopian breed of cattle. Currently there are ongoing

cross-breeding A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. ''Crossbreeding'', sometimes called "designer crossbreeding", is the process of breeding such an organism, While crossbreeding is used to main ...

programmes with

Arado cattle The red and black coated Arado cattle are small and hardy. They are the most common cattle variety in the north Ethiopian highlands. The Arado breed is part of the Zenga breed group. It is essentially reared for draught power, particularly tillage ...

, in an attempt to increase the milk production of the latter.

Origin of the cattle breed

Ethiopia has been at a crossroads for cattle immigration to Africa due to * proximity to the geographical entry of Indian and Arabian

zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty ...

* proximity to Near-Eastern and European

taurine Taurine (), or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an organic compound that is widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine, and accounts for up to 0.1% of total human body weight. It ...

* introgression with West African taurine due to

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as " livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands ( pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The ani ...

Furthermore, the diverse agro-ecology led to diverse farming systems which, in turn, made Ethiopia a centre of

secondary diversification Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

for livestock : * The

Sanga cattle Sanga cattle is the collective name for indigenous cattle of sub-Saharan Africa. They are sometimes identified as a subspecies with the scientific name ''Bos taurus africanus''. Their history of domestication and their origins in relation to ta ...

originated in Ethiopia. They are a major bovine group in Africa – a cross-breeding of local long-horned taurines and Arabian zebus * The Begayt are one of the

Zenga ''Zenga'' is the term for the practice and art of Zen Buddhist painting and calligraphy in the Japanese tea ceremony and also the martial arts. Definition As a noun, Zenga is a style of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and painting, done in ...

(Zebu-Sanga) breeds, which resulted from a second introduction and crossing with Indian zebu

Threats on the cattle breed

* socio-political stresses: civil wars and recent urbanisation *

panzootic A panzootic (from Greek παν all + ζόιον animal) is an epizootic (an outbreak of an infectious disease of animals) that spreads across a large region (for example a continent), or even worldwide. The equivalent in human populations is call ...

stresses:

cattle plague Rinderpest (also cattle plague or steppe murrain) was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and many other species of even-toed ungulates, including gaurs, buffaloes, large antelope, deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthogs ...

* environmental stresses drought and destruction of ecosystems * extensive cross-breeding with Arado

Closely related types

References

{{Reflist Cattle breeds Tigray Region Cattle breeds originating in Ethiopia